First-year medical students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) were forced to attend a conference led by a pro-Hamas activist, where they were pressured to participate in unconventional rituals and prayers.
The event, titled "Housing (In)justice in LA: Addressing Unhousing and Practicing Solidarity," was led by Lisa Gray-Garcia on March 27 at Geffen Hall. It was part of a class on structural racism and health equity that all future doctors at the school are required to take.
The antisemitic activist, who calls herself a "poverty scholar," appeared with her face covered with a keffiyeh, criticized capitalism and accused the economic system of wiping out the "black, brown and homeless" people living on the streets. However, the lecture took an even more controversial turn when she spoke about the October 7 massacre in Israel as a "justified" act and urged students to chant slogans in support of Palestine.
Gray-García also subjected the students to a series of unconventional rituals, including a prayer addressed to "mama Earth" and "ancestors." "Mama earth was never meant to be bought, sold, pimped, or played," the speaker said as students knelt and other teachers and staff members watched silently.
Later, the UCLA Jewish Faculty Resilience Group issued a press release highlighting that there was a group of students who were "visibly uncomfortable" but felt intimidated after a UCLA staff member singled out one of them for not participating in Gray-Garcia's rituals.
"The net effect was that UCLA staff intimidated first-year medical students into participating in a religious service in derogation of their own beliefs," the group expressed, denouncing that the administration must put an end to political and antisemitic indoctrination within the institution.
So far, the university has not issued official comments on the event. Despite subsequent criticism, Gray-García has vehemently defended her lecture on social media, arguing that she was sharing authentic experiences of injustice and inequality. However, her speech has generated intense debate about the line between academic freedom and the imposition of personal beliefs in the educational environment.
@povertyskola Excerpt of "The myth of Clean and the unhoused body on stolen land -presented by povertyskolaz at #Poormagazine #AetnaStreet #KripHopNation at #uclamedschool #Povertyscholarship #Homefulness #Prop1 #4118 @The Black Kripple @Poor People's Army @Delphine Brody ♬ original sound - PovertySkola
Elan Carr, special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism under the Trump administration, criticized what happened and called it "vile and poisonous indoctrination."
"Many universities have become intolerable places for Jews. Here is yet one more example of the vile, poisonous indoctrination to which students are forced to submit, this time at UCLA Medical School. This is disgraceful and legally actionable," he said.
Many universities have become intolerable places for Jews. Here is yet one more example of the vile, poisonous indoctrination to which students are forced to submit, this time at UCLA Medical School. This is disgraceful and legally actionable. @UCLA: Time to lawyer up! pic.twitter.com/GyGXnK8Abv
— Elan Carr (@ElanSCarr) March 31, 2024
